There are always self appointed 'know it all' 'geniuses' who think that every action happened the same way every time. Nothing could be further from the truth. War is chaotic, improvised, and hinges on the last minute decisions of many people involved. The 'geniuses' aren't worth the air it takes to call them irrelevant. I'll listen to the guys that were there, they are the real heroes.

The Kriegsmarine Luger story was worth the wait. Researching the back story on these war sidearms is the proper way to serve history, and make a few bucks while you're at it!

I worked for a large firearms dealer/distributor in NYC, in the 70’s. We took in 11 Colt Commando revolvers in trade for S&W model 64’s. We paid $19 for each one. I liked the parkerized finish, it’s as pristine as the one in your video. I paid a dollar more, so $20. Little did I know then what I had. Years later I saw the Blue Book value at better than $275. When I moved from NY in 2018, I found the Commando’s original CRAFT box which I had stored separately all these years. A Colt letter shows it was shipped to the American Locomotive company (ALCO) in upstate NY. It is one of 11 Commandos sent for their wartime security. ALCO manufactured Locomotives, vehicles and equipment for the war effort. It appears my Commando sat, for most of bits life unused. The cover of the Craft box has inspection dates written inside by who appears is the armorer or custodian for the company. The Commando has all the markings and Cartouches with the addition of the number “8” on the butt which matches the one on its box. I’m told it’s worth far more today than it’s purchase price in the ‘70s. Great video!

Haven Kreis is my third cousin 2x removed, He was Sheriff for three two-year terms. His grandfather, Harmon, supported by both republicans and democrats was elected Sheriff in 1904 to clean up the county. Haven died young at the age of 43 in 1949.

Thanks, Tom, for another really interesting video. Apart from the weapons, the human stories are very fascinating. Thanks, and keep ‘em coming.

I was one of the river boys in Cincinnati, Oh. Your right about the flooding, I remember leaving the house from the second floor, in a row boat. We were poor but I didn't even realize that, until we moved up in the world. I'm a small time collector that loves every video you put out, especially those that have stories of war bring backs and people like sheriff Kreis.

@thomaswhiteman4261

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing your experience with us.

When I worked for GSA we had thousands of the Commando revolvers in storage, both 2 and 4 inch barreled versions. They were built on the Colt OP frame and had a variety of markings on their back straps and butts giving indications to where they had served before winding up at GSA. They were used to arm the guards at factories with War Department contracts and also to fill the initial needs of some Federal agencies with a requirement for armed personnel both during WW2 and afterwards. Property of US Government was a not uncommon marking. But I also saw some marked USGS (US Geological Survey), some were marked TVA, and TVA Police and US Mint. Sadly, in 1979 as earlier testing had shown the steel used to make them was not capable of withstanding the chamber pressure of the new US Treasury +P+ .38 Special round and the DoJ had standardized on that being the only acceptable .38 Special round, and because Senator Ted Kennedy had earlier gotten legislation passed banning the further sale by the US of surplus firearms a decision was made to demill all of them by torching and that was done. It is safe to say that only a small portion of the total number of Commando revolvers made somehow escaped the cutting torches.

@AdamosDad

2 жыл бұрын

Very sad story.

@davidschaadt3460

2 жыл бұрын

The +P+ round is really hot and most of the old guns wouldn't handle them without excessive stress .I haven't seen a Commando in ages . Thank you for your interesting story .

Been to Camp Roberts CA where earthquake response training was being held at the time. The veteran definitely started out his training in a nice place for his upcoming war service.

A logger with a Luger..couldn’t resist Tom. Great video. As usual

Excellent guns and war stories again. Don't forget the volume at the Allentown show this time

@thomaswhiteman4261

2 жыл бұрын

Funny

Also says He was Pistol sharpshooting champion of the US, Hazen Kreis is likely a name unfamiliar to the readers of this column, but there was a time when the six foot, five inch gentleman was wildly popular in Knox County. Kreis was elected to three two-year terms consecutively as Sheriff of Knox County. Ranging in weight from 340 to 375 pounds, Kreis was a big man, who was once the pistol sharpshooting champion of the United States. Kreis’s grandson, Hazen Kreis, III, recalls stories told by his Uncle Rudy and various family members of how his grandfather could shoot individual acorns from trees.

@thomaswhiteman4261

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing that. Wish I had known about the pistol champion

@Bacardibatman

2 жыл бұрын

@@thomaswhiteman4261 Made me wonder if he got the Colt for being the sharpshooting champion?

Love that Luger. On 14 May 1945 eight German U-boats surrendered to a Royal Navy admiral in a seaside town to the north of where I live. By the end of the surrender there were between 40 to 60 U-boats docked at the Royal Navy jetty.

26.13 in video shows extended exhaust pipe. This was installed on later subs to avoid open sea radar. Less surfacing less detection, more stink. When they opened the lid in port people would run to avoid the smell.

I worked at Camp Roberts for a few years back in the early 2000's. Lots of the WWII era buildings are very dilapidated and need to be removed, but the state won't let them be torn down due to the lead paint on the walls and the asbestos used in the adhesive used to secure the tile floors. It was used up through Vietnam to train troops, is still part of the California Military Department and was used for training troops to get used to hot weather for Iraq and Afghanistan.

On the subject of POW's coming back to N.A. , I met an Afrika Corps vet who was captured and sent to a camp in Southern Alberta. He was sent back to Germany after the war ended, but came back to Canada as soon as he could and stayed here for the rest of his life.

My sister in laws father served stateside as p.o.w. transportation guard, he said many of the German prisoners didn’t want to go back home to fight they had a better life here. He also said some prisoners got day passes and would return back to the camp at the designated time. I believe this was in upstate New York, he would also escort some prisoners by train to other states he said they weren’t any problem either for the same reason.

Brilliant as always, thank you Tom 👍🏻

HMCS Buckingham entry in Wikipedia mentions the capture of U-boat 889.

I have "just found" (Pandemic lockdown) in my attic crawl space in So CA, a 28H with a 37 proof in poor condition. rust and marred (scrawled X on slide), shattered hand grips, no magazine, serial 481875. We think it belonged to my wife's dad. He was a 17 tail-gunner in the war and think he bought or found it before he came home. We found no paperwork. My Mother-in-law hated guns in a big way and it makes since he stashed it in the attic. He bought the house were we live in 1946.

Very informative , things I would have known. Great research

I don't think "money shot" means what you think it does.. ;-)

@nataliedeyton6829

2 жыл бұрын

😂😂😂 thought the same

Thank you!!

love watching your vids ,, we cant have hand guns in england

Love your videos. Always look forward to your next one. Thank you.

That was an especially good one, thanks.

You’re very knowledgeable and have the best job in the world in my opinion

Great Video! Thanks for Sharing!

Thanks Tom....you can save future documents. Sorry to be a pest about it.😊🍺

Outstanding video and presentation

Great Stories!

Hi Tom, thanks for this really informative channel. I noticed that in the picture of the 3 Kreigsmarine officers, with the captain in the middle, two of them were armed, and this looked like a picture of the Captain on his previous boat. He appears to be wearing on his right front hip the Luger holster, although it is partially obscured, you can clearly see the magazine showing, which goes to add credence that this captain carried a Luger, and it would follow that he took his sidearm with him to his new command. I do appreciate the detail and the research that is done, please keep up the good work, these stories need to be told.

great stuff tom

Very cool video! Especially the Black Widow but all of them are very nice! I always look forward to your videos!

Awesome!!!!

You can still live in a Van down by the river Tom

@bloodybones63

2 жыл бұрын

On government cheese? lol

Thanks!

@magsmaglente8303

2 жыл бұрын

Thank you!

Great story

Very interesting

brb going scuba diving where they tossed the small arms overboard from the u-boat

The moneyshot?! 😂 Your search history may need erasing. 😁

10:07 Shipped September 11, 1943. My birthday except my vintage year was 1950. I try and buy guns whose serial number can be manipulated into some permutation of 9/11. Like my most recent acquisition, a CMP Service Grade Colt 1911A1 shipped from Colt to Springfield Armory SerNo 1620010. (one plus six plus two is the nine. the two one's are the eleven and even the year 1950 is there; A one and a nine and a six minus one is the five and the zero.) I have a post-war pre-68 PPK. Before I die I want to own a P38. ( I want to thank you for speed, accuracy, and care with which you completed a recent order of mine. No problems and no issues. Thanks)

I hate to be one of those guys but the H in 38H stands for Hahn “internal hammer”

The picture of the three officers you show near the end would not show the captain. The skipper would have worn a white hat.

Looks like a new trigger?

I have one of the 38H pistols. Mine has nothing at all on the trigger guard - zip! . It has an "Eagle N" (one on the slide on the right side (near the rear site) and one on the frame just below that one (on the right side again). BTW - I never knew you could "cock" the pistol with the "DEcocker!" (duh) New one on me. Thanks. Also, I had to buy a set of old replacement grips because the ones that came with it were just all cracked and not useful. Cool little gun. I bought 50 rnds of 32 cal ammo back when I first got it .....and I have 48 left. I have not shot it in a decade or so. Might be time to take it to the range - just for grins.

In my reading about the Sauer 38H, I found that "H" is for "hahn" which translates to several words, two are "cock" or "hammer" for cocker/decocker and internal hammer.

@thomaswhiteman4261

2 жыл бұрын

The original manual says Heer.

Were the holsters ever cut during the war by German soldiers/sailors, or was this done after the fact by whoever brought it home as a trophy? If there was any evidence of the former I'd expect it to be worth even more. If there's evidence that he was on a ship that captured a submarine, that seems like pretty good evidence that it was indeed from a submarine - not proof, of course, but something.

@thomaswhiteman4261

2 жыл бұрын

no way to know for sure, but I believe this was cut by the German officer.

great video even though I was bidding against you for that Luger!

@thomaswhiteman4261

2 жыл бұрын

Thanks Joel. We were probably bidding on emotion at the end.

@JNathanielBerke

2 жыл бұрын

@@thomaswhiteman4261 absolutely!

Is that Gehring's revolver,❓

actually Tom the Sauer and Colt are more interesting than the Luger!!!

👍👀

I totally accept the U-boat Canadian surrender Luger story, but think it's far more likely that the Canadian and not the German cut the holster. Think of the zillions of cases of captured guns and stuff essentially ruined by their new owners. No doubt this is another one.

...I obviously shouldda waited until you mentioned him...sorry...

Germans not wanting to go home wasn't exactly uncommon at the time. Many had nothing to go home to. Homes on the Eastern side of the iron curtain were not appealing to many POWs. Some had no home left after visits by Allied bombers; no surviving family; shattered economy, etc, so they stayed wherever they were.

Yes they were upset the war was ending! With smiles & laughs on the Germans faces 🙄

Waiting to see memorabilia captured from brave Yankees in Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq and all other countries, all over the world - there must be plenty...

No way would Australian government allow any people to own a piece of history like that. We have to be closely monitored to even look at something like that. Greetings from communist Australia. 🇹🇷

all winchester shotguns are take downs

A black flag was used because a white couldn’t be seen with the foam of the sea .

brb going scuba diving where they tossed the small arms overboard from the u-boat